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Would you move or renovate? NOVA.
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Anonymous
| DH and I have one DC and are expecting a second. We currently own a home in Lyon Village, Arlington, which we love for its walkability and its convenience to downtown (where I work, although DH works further out along the Dulles Toll Road, so it's really not that convenient for him). But our house is definitely on the small side, and while probably doable with 2 kids, it would probably end up feeling cramped (also the bedrooms are in a weird layout that really isn't conducive to a family of 4). We probably can't afford a bigger house in our neighborhood, where there seems to be almost nothing in the 1 million range. So our options seem to be renovating (which I understand can be a huge PITA) or finding a house in a different neighborhood. Given our budget (probably around 1 mil), are there any neighborhoods in northern va with some of the same benefits of Clarendon (walkability, good public schools, relatively close to DC), but where the home prices are a little cheaper? Or, given that we love the neighborhood, should we just plan on renovating at some point? Any thoughts appreciated! |
Anonymous
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Is there nothing in the 1m range b/c everything bigger than your current house is a lot more than a mill? My basic advice is that you never want to be the biggest or most expensive house on the block. If other homes in your neighborhood have been renovated to the scale you are hoping for, and the schools are what you want long-term, I'd renovate (if you can afford the renovation that you want).
Is the layout of your house such that an addition would be fairly straightforward and give you what you need? Or are the bedrooms in such an odd configuration that it would always be quirky? Are there changes that could be made to the existing bedrooms to make them better? For instance, we are considering removing and reconfiguring closets in one bedroom to make more usable space (too many doors right now). |
Anonymous
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Well, there's nice areas all up and down the Orange Line, from the Town of Vienna to the City of Falls Church to the Orange Line neighborhoods in Arlington.
What are your desires for bed/bath, lot size, house size, house age, etc? Renovation will take 1-2 years and if you love the neighbors, schools, etc., etc., and can stay in your place while renovations are ongoing (or factor in 2 years' rent) ... I'd renovate. Good luck. |
Anonymous
| I also recommend the City of Falls Church. Have you figured out whether you'd have to move out and could afford to carry your mortgage and cost of a rental? |
Anonymous
I would stay. Walkability is so nice, and Clarendon will retain it's value well. Could you do a popup extra level on top or push out into the back yard? Lots of people manage in small spaces--I would give that a try and save up to possibly renovate later on. Don't try to fix a problem you don't have yet 
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Anonymous
| I'd renovate. Do it now before you're pregnant again. A renovation in Lyon Village will not price your home out of the neighborhood. |
Anonymous
| OP, do you like your neighbors? Honesty, if you do, you can not buy that. If so, I would say do not move. Really, some neighbors are more than PITAs, especially in old/new house mixed neighborhoods. Some neighbors think they own the neighborhood, really. I will not say which is which, but use your imagination and common sense to determine which is which. Anyway, neighbors are a serious consideration. |
Anonymous
| You could move south of Clarendon and easily find a reasonable house for less than a million. Lyon park is cheaper than Lyon Village. In fact, most of N. Arlington has homes that would work for you for under a million. Now, if you want a really big house, perhaps N. Arlington won't work... |
Anonymous
| new construction is poor a lot of times. You know the problems (and good points) of your location. Renovate. |
Anonymous
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This is just my personal opinion. Do you really need more space?
It's always easy to picture more space as great, but I really question what's most important to you. Spending time with your family is important, and I'd personally argue more valuable to your children than more room. Will moving give you more time with them? Think in terms of commutes and and in terms of things like will you have spend more time on yardwork? I also argue community is important? How close with neighbors are you? Is this a consideration? Do you do thinks in the area that relate to community (such as a church or synagogue?) And finally think in terms of schools. Do you value the schools in your neighborhood? For me (only speaking for myself) because these are factors that I think mean more to my children's long term interests than "room". |
Anonymous
Here are some thoughts: Lyon Village is a great neighborhood. It sounds like you know you won't be able to afford a larger home in that same neighborhood, and even if you could, it probably wouldn't be that much of an improvement on what you've got now. You don't even sound sure that you will need more space - why don't you wait until you have 2 before you make that call? Our small 3BR/2BA in Arlington was fine with 2 kids until my youngest started walking....that's when we realized we needed a bit more living space and an extra BR (3rd was really small). There are tons of neighborhoods in N Arlington where you could find a good size house for 1m. The issue is the "walkability" so if you need to have walking access to Metro and/or really like walking access to shops, you might want to consider staying put. My first thought was Ashton Heights - still walking distance to Metro (Va Square and/or Ballston) and while it's not as much of a "scene" you can walk to some shopping/dining/etc. If you only want/need to be able to walk to some shopping/dining, you might consider Cherrydale, Maywood, Waverly Hills, or one of the neighborhoods near the Lee-Harrison shopping center. |
Anonymous
| 22:29 again - one more thought - someone else mentioned the neighbors. If you really like yours, you might want to stay put and add on. We love our neighbors and our neighborhood so for us, adding on was the right call! |
Anonymous
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If I owned a house in Lyon Village I would never, in a million years, give it up. You have everything you need and within walking distance. Arlington is an awesome county with great resources, schools, great neighbors (hopefully you have them?). If you can, add on.
If your budget is 1 million and you insist on moving then I agree that you could find something in Lyon Park that is larger for less than 1 mil. Good luck! |
Anonymous
Me too! If you have the space to expand that's what I would do. |
Anonymous
| OP here-thanks for all the thoughtful replies! One of our considerations is having kids on a different floor of the house from us-we have 2 bedrooms upstairs, ours and DC's, but DC's is really small, and while it might eventually fit a bunkbed, it would not fit a crib and a twin. We also have two bedrooms (one currently an office) and a full bath on the main level. So once the second arrives, we will need to either have one or both kids downstairs, while we stay upstairs, or have them upstairs while we move downstairs. I understand this kind of setup is not ideal, but does anyone have any experience with it working (or not)? If the kids are going to be a different level from us, does it work better if they are at least together in a room? |